A species disappears from our planet about every 30 minutes. From climate crises to man’s carelessness, there are endless factors that drive the living into a black hole of non-existence. Till date, the most extraordinary of these eliminations occurred in a family of tiny insects—the Rocky Mountain locusts which became in 1902 the only agricultural pests to face complete extinction. But this notorious species has continued to swarm the minds of farmers and entomologists long after their mysterious disappearance, and for good reason. In 1875, Plattsmouth, Nebraska witnessed the largest swarm of these Rocky Mountain locusts that shook the world with its scale. The swarm exceeded in reputation even the desert locust swarm of Africa, cementing its reputation in history for centuries to come.
A specimen of the Rocky Mountain locust. Photo: Janique Goff/Flickr
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